The intersection of Stickle Road and Highway 97 in Vernon has been the focus of ongoing debate in the community for years.

(CHARLOTTE HELSTON / iNFOnews.ca)

VERNON - Changes are coming to a busy Vernon intersection.

Road work will start on Highway 97 at Stickle Road in either late April or early May, Steve Sirett, district manager with the Ministry of Transportation says.

The project will restrict left hand turns from Stickle Road onto the highway, and eventually provide a connecting route into Vernon via 20 Street.

Starting in a couple of weeks, crews will be working exclusively on the Highway 97 phase. Work on the 20 Street connection won’t happen until possibly spring of 2019, once preloading is complete, Sirett says.

Most of the highway work is expected to be done at night, but drivers are advised there could be minor delays at any time of the day.

“Take precautions through the construction zones and pay attention to the flaggers. They are out there to make sure the public and the workers are safe.”

The project, meanwhile, has risen in price to roughly $15 million, up from the initial $9.5 million estimate.

“The total funded budget has increased with our latest tenders. We only saw a few bidders,” Sirett says. “The tender prices were higher than anticipated.”

Okanagan Aggregates was awarded a $5.9 million contract for the highway work, which will lengthen turning lanes and add acceleration and deceleration lanes.

A wetland walking path along BX Creek was displaced by the 20 Street connector project, but Sirett says a walkway will eventually be reconstructed in collaboration with the regional district. He says the Ministry is also working with Ducks Unlimited to create a wetland area near Swan Lake, which will be three times the size of what was lost along BX Creek.

The project has been in the works since 2015, with the Ministry going back to the drawing board multiple times over the design. The project faced opposition along the way from local residents, businesses and environmentalists. 

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